Good pizza is hard to find. Not gourmet cusine pizza – just plain ol’ good pizza. I was inspired by this paragraph from the Sports Guy
The well-done 14-inch cheese pizza at either the Larchmont Village Pizzeria (West Hollywood) or Pino’s Pizzeria (Brookline, Mass.).
Here’s what I want from my cheese pizza: I want the cheese to be brown and a little bubbly. I want a thin-crust that isn’t too doughy. I want just enough sauce that the roof of my mouth burns. And I don’t want to feel like I need a bypass after I eat it. Only two pizza places have ever accomplished this for me, and they’re 3,000 miles apart. Go figure. It’s harder to find a white punt returner than a good pizza place, isn’t it?
I have slightly different standards. Tomato sauce is divine. Cheese is great, but don’t overdo it. If you can’t take a bite without strings hanging out of your mouth, you’ve gone too far. If it’s dripping over the sides, you’ve gone too far. The cheese is a topping, not some amorphous semi-cooked blob of dairy putrescence.
Sports Guy mention of Pino’s, where I wiled away many happy lunches, got me salivating. Since I moved to Georgia, it’s hard to find good pizza. Here are the best pizza places I know:
- Marios
- Ninos
- Papa Ginos (in the old days)
- Unos/Duos/Ginos
- Brother Brunos
None of those are in Georgia. Notice they all end in “o’s”? That has become my new Pizza Postulate.
Pizza Postulate: For top quality pizza, the vendor must have a name ending in "o".
In Georgia, there are two pretty good pizza places. Interestingly, both end in a vowel, but not the letter o.
- Fellini’s
- The Pizzeria
More examples are needed to flesh out this pizza paradigm! Submissions welcome!
Interestingly though, Pepe’s does end with a vowel and Sally has the vowel sound.
Also, I’m not sure I can trust your opinion about the best 3 in New Haven, given your answers about Pizza Orientation! 🙂
This Postulate does not apply to New Haven-style pizza. The Big 3 of New Haven pizza is Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern, although I’m fond of Naples.
If you wish, upon my return to LA, I will examine this so-called “Larchmont Pizzeria” for quality. However, I think I’ve been there before and determined it was ass. But for the sake of your research, I am willing to try again.
Also, all good diners must be owned by a hairy fat man with a name ending with S.
Like Gus, Christos, Kostas etc.
The owner must also have an affinity for sheep.